A Creed of Good Deeds

Have you sought a foundation on which you can stand,  
Or yearned for firm ground but then found only sand?  
 
Do you seek deeper meaning, or wish for a why,
Or just want to know where we go when we die?  
 
Do you get the impression there is something not right?  
Does your mind start to wander when you’ve switched off the light?  
 
Are there questions you ponder in your bed late at night?  
Especially at times when you feel like a flop,  
Or something is hurting you greatly non-stop?  
 
Well relax, and don’t worry, whatever you do,  
Many problems like that used to trouble me too.  
 
Until I remembered what I already knew.  
 
Which was something I’d known way back at the start.
The very beginning.  And it helped me take heart.    
 
Now that thing isn’t puzzling, and it isn’t oblique,  
Not shrouded within a big cloud of mystique.  
 
That thing isn’t winning, and it isn’t being cool,  
It isn’t belonging to the in crowd at school,
Nor is it the answer to a difficult sum,  
Or a conjuring trick which is done by someone.    
 
It is something quite easy, as easy as pie,
That any person at all, like you or like I,  
Could put into practice, and simply apply.  
 
It’s loving your neighbour as if they were you,  
And treating all people as you’d be done to.  
 
We all understand lending someone a hand,
Is sometimes required, on that we agree -
 
Whatever our age or condition may be,  
Whatever our culture, or colour of skin,  
And no matter what country or place that we’re in …  
 
Everyone gets the gist that it’s good to assist,  
No one doubts helping out is the right thing to do.
 
Okay, maybe you’re thinking “I’ve heard that before,  
It doesn’t give me a buzz, it’s becoming a bore”.  
 
But permit me to offer a contrary view:
 
Let’s say you are seeking a cause to inspire you,  
And want something very worthwhile to aspire to -  
That’s precisely the time that being kind can come in.  
When problems are pressing and the chances are slim,  
You’ll make an impression, you just have to begin.  
 
Or say you’re in want of a mission or purpose,  
Be kind and you’ll find it, try being of some service.  
Helping someone with something’s a fine thing to do,  
And the world could be changed by a person like you.  
 
You can start anytime. It’s okay to be nervous!
 
At first you may flounder, or fall flat on your face.
But you’ll learn as you go, things will fall into place.
 
You will get on a roll, or get into a groove,  
And before you’re much older your skills will improve.  
 
Till you’re great at creating amazing effects,  
Through acts which are easy, or simple projects.  
 
And then you’ll be ready, when an hour is the darkest,  
Or problems are hardest, or the need is the largest.  
Ready to be there, to make use of your talents,  
Whatever they are, when a life’s in the balance.  
 
Then one day, or one night, you might pick up a phone,  
And talk to a person who is feeling alone,  
With their back to the wall, perhaps behind an eight ball.    
 
You’ll show some compassion, and you’ll listen a lot,  
And your words could outweigh every problem they’ve got.  
The things that you say will transform a bad day,  
The care you convey will help make it okay.  
 
While your words may seem slight, or sometimes routine,
You just never know quite how much they might mean.  
The time that the need is most urgent or critical,
The support you provide could prove to be pivotal.
  
You won’t stop at that, there’ll be more that you do.  
You’ll inspire many people to make a breakthrough,    
And you’ll help out your neighbours in slums or in sloughs,
Or who suffer in very uncomfortable shoes.  
 
Plus, much good will ensue just because you are you.  
 
Of course, there’ll be times when you feel daunted or scared,  
No matter how fully or how well you’ve prepared.        
 
And your life may get rougher, there are no guarantees.  
You might have to start over, or need some plan Bs.  
 
But whatever the sort of the storm you sail into,  
Somehow you’ll discover a way to continue.
 
You won’t abandon your dreams, that’s the last thing you’ll do,  
You’ll imagine a way you can make them come true.  
You’ll inspire a way forward when there aren’t any answers,  
So a person who’s floored can get up from the canvass.  
 
There will even be people, who you’ve never met,
Inspired to aim higher by examples you set.
 
You’ll be sweller than swell, so much greater than great,  
Now’s the time to get started, there’s no reason to wait.    
 
So …  
If you’re looking for meaning, or having some doubt,    
Or there’s a question or two that you wonder about,  
Just be kind, and you’ll find that you’ll figure it out.  
 
And …
Be kind and inspire deeds people can’t do without.